Chapter 3, World History

Front 1

Indo-Europeans

Back 1

These people are thought to have been a nomadic tribe who came from the plains of the Caucasus Mountains, and then spread out from there.

Front 2

Steppes

Back 2

A dry grassland that is found north of the Caucasus Mountains, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The land is useful for raising herds and grazing flocks.

Front 3

Migration

Back 3

The movement of people or animals from one region to another.

Front 4

Hittites

Back 4

A Indo-European people group who lived in Anatolia, modern day Turkey, around 2000 B.C. They were skilled iron workers, and made advanced weapons that helped them forge an empire that would reach into Mesopotamia.

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Anatolia

Back 5

Also known as Asia Minor, or the country of Turkey, it is a large peninsula that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. The land is mostly made up of high, rocky plateaus which provide an abundant supply of timber and minerals.

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Aryans

Back 6

A light skinned, tall, semi-nomadic group of herders who originated in the mountains between the Caspian and Aral seas. Around 1000 B.C. they invaded and conquered the Indus Valley creating their own kingdom.

Front 7

Vedas

Back 7

This is a collection of four, Aryan, religious texts which show prayers, magical spells, and instructions for performing rituals.

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Brahmin

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They were Aryan priests, and the most respected of the four main social groups of that culture.

Front 9

Caste

Back 9

This was a term coined by 15th c. Portuguese explorers to explain the social structure of the Indian people. The system was originally created by the Aryans to seperate their people from the groups they had conquered.

Front 10

Mahabharata

Back 10

One of the great epics of Indian literature which recounts the struggle of the Aryans to conquer India.

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Reincarnation

Back 11

The belief that a person's soul is reborn time and time again until that person discovers perfect knowledge known as Moksha.

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Karma

Back 12

A sort of record kept of all the good or bad things that a person has done in their life, which then affects them when they are reincarnated into their next life.

Front 13

Jainism

Back 13

A religion that was founded by Mahavira, in the 6th c. B.C., that believes that every living thing has a soul and thus should not be harmed.

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Siddhartha Gautama

Back 14

He was a young nobleman who after years of pampering decided to look for the meaning of life. He eventually became enlightened and from then on was know as Buddha, who founded the religion of Buddhism.

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Enlightenment

Back 15

To have great wisdom.

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Nirvana

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This is the highest level of enlightenment that a person can achieve in Buddhism. This is when a person is released from the human bondage of selfishness and pain.

Front 17

Minoans

Back 17

An ancient, seafaring culture that was centered around the island of Crete from 2000 to 4000 B.C. An extremely advanced and rich culture, they suddenly collapsed around 1200 B.C. when the Thera volcano violently erupted distroying their civilization.

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Aegean Sea

Back 18

The body of water that is found between Greece and the Anatolian Peninsula.

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Knossos

Back 19

This was the capital city of the Minoan people, located on the island of Crete.

Front 20

King Minos

Back 20

He was the mythological king of Crete, who was said to have a monster called a Minotaur (half man, half bull), locked in a maze to kill his enemies.

Front 21

Phoenicians

Back 21

These people did not have a united country, but instead occupied a number of city-states in the modern area of Lebanon. They were accomplished sailors, and ship builders, who became powerful traders in the Mediterranean region, around 1100 B.C.

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Palestine

Back 22

This was an area of land that would consist of modern day Isreal, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, that lie along the Mediterranean coast.

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Canaan

Back 23

This was the ancient home of the Hebrew people, which included much of the area of Palestine.

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Torah

Back 24

These are the most sacred of the Hebrew writings, comprising the first 5 books of their bible. (What is also known as the Old Testament in the Christian faith.)

Front 25

Abraham

Back 25

He was a shepherd from the city of Ur, in Mesopotamia, who would later become known as the 'Father' of the Hebrew people.

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Monotheism

Back 26

This is the belief in only one God.

Front 27

Covenant

Back 27

This is the agreement made between two people, or groups of people.

Front 28

Moses

Back 28

The man who led the Hebrew people out of slaver, in Egypt, around 1300 B.C., or 1200 B.C. Later he was called on by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt.

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Israel

Back 29

This was the land, along the Mediterranean Coast that was formally called the land of Canaan. The Hebrew people conquered this land after they escaped Egypt, and formed the Kingdom of Israel.

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Judah

Back 30

After the death of King Solomon the Kingdom of Israel broke into two separate kingdoms in 922 B.C. The Southern Kingdom was called Judah, after the tribe of Judah, from which the Hebrew people became known as 'Jews'.

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Tribute

Back 31

Money or goods paid to a powerful nation in order to ensure peace between you.

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Untouchables

Back 32

This is an Indian social group which exists outside of the Caste system. The people of this group are considered impure, and beneath animals in importance.

Front 33

Upanishads

Back 33

These are the interpretations of the Vedic Hymns, that Hindu teachers wrote down between 750 and 550 B.C.

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Buddhism

Back 34

A world religion or philosophy based on the teaching of the Buddha and holding that a state of enlightenment can be attained by suppressing worldly desire.

Front 35

Moksha

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This is the highest form of enlightenment that a person can achieve in Hinduism. A place of perfect being, which is achieved through the constant cycle of reincarnation.

Front 36

Brahman

Back 36

This is the world's soul, according to Hindu belief, and consists of the souls of everything on Earth. {consists of three lesser gods; Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma.}

Front 37

David

Back 37

The second great king of Israel who came to power after the death of King Saul. He was a powerful, devout, and popular king who united all the tribes of Israel into one powerful kingdom.

Front 38

King Cyrus I

Back 38

He was the great king of Persia who conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C., allowed the Jewish people to return from exile, and gave the Jews help in rebuilding their temple.

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Solomon

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The greatest of all the Hebrew Kings, he was the son of King David and Bathsheba, ruling around 962 B.C. He was known for his wisdom.

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Saul

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Known as a great warrior, he was chosen the first King of the Hebrews.

Front 41

Greeks

Back 41

A Mediterranean people who were divided into warring city-states. Their culture was greatly influence by the Minoans, and Phoenician people.

Front 42

Carthage

Back 42

This colony, founded by the Phoenicians in 814 B.C., was located in Northern Africa, in what is now the country of Tunisia. This would be the greatest of all the Phoenician colonies.

Front 43

Crete

Back 43

Located on the edge of the Aegean Sea, this island served as the center of the Minoan Civilization.

Front 44

Tyre

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A popular trading port, this Phoenician city-state was known for its trade in a valuable purple dye.

Front 45

Sangha

Back 45

Traditionally these were Buddhist monks, but know it is a term used for anyone who follows Buddhism.

Front 46

Dharma

Back 46

In Hinduism, the divine law that rules karma; it requires all people to do their duty based on their status in society.

Front 47

Asia Minor

Back 47

This is the Peninsula, also known as Anatolia, which is surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Front 48

Varnas

Back 48

The strict social structure that the Aryans brought with them to the Indus Valley. It is derived from the word 'Varna', which means skin color, and eventually became known as the social structure.

Front 49

Ten Commandments

Back 49

This was the moral code that was given to Moses, by God, on top of Mount Sinai. These laws were the new covenant between the Hebrew people and God.